The sons of Angiras, among the gods, consecrated the illustrious Pṛthu, son of Vena, as a great king. Thus, Pṛthu Vainya became the very first and foremost king upon earth. Where his father had failed to win over the hearts of the people, Pṛthu succeeded; through their deep affection for him, he came to be known as ‘Rāja’—the King. Marvels attended his reign. As Pṛthu approached the ocean, the very waters stood still in reverence; mountains shattered before his might, and no banners were ever broken in his presence. The earth yielded abundant crops without the labor of the plow, and food appeared by mere thought alone. Cows gave forth all that was desired, and honey could be found in every vessel. During this auspicious time, while an ancestral sacrifice was being performed, a wise Sūta was born on the day of the Sūtya rite, and in that same great sacrifice, a learned Māgadha was also born. Through the oblations offered to Indra—one mixed with that intended for Bṛhaspati—the Sūta came into being. Yet, in the ritual, a mistake occurred, requiring expiation; the disciple’s oblation mingled with the teacher’s, and from this mingling, a variation of caste arose through differing conduct. Thus, the Sūta, born from a Kṣatriya father and a Brahmin mother, was deemed to have the same duties as those before him. The Sūta’s middle duty was to serve Kṣatriyas, driving their chariots and elephants; the lowest occupation was the practice of medicine. At this time, the divine sages summoned the Sūta and Māgadha for the purpose of praising Pṛthu. The sages declared, “Let this king be praised. This deed and you both are fit for the hymn.” The Sūta and Māgadha replied, “We please the gods and sages with our own actions. But we do not know the deeds, characteristics, or fame of this illustrious king, by which we might compose a hymn for him, O twice-born ones.” The sages instructed them, “Let him be praised in the future. He is ever devoted to charity and righteousness, truthful, self-controlled, learned, generous, and undefeated in battle.” Thereafter, the Sūta and Māgadha sang the praises of mighty Pṛthu and all his virtuous deeds. Greatly pleased by their praise, Pṛthu, lord of creatures, bestowed the region of Anūpa upon the Sūta and Magadha upon the Māgadha. From then on, the rulers of the earth were celebrated by Sūtas and Māgadhas, who awakened them each day with blessings and hymns. All the people and great sages, filled with supreme joy at Pṛthu’s rule, declared, “This son of Vena will be your provider—let him be your king.” At the urging of the sages, the people eagerly approached the illustrious Vainya, saying, “Provide for our livelihood.” Thus, pressed by the people, who desired their welfare, mighty Pṛthu took up his bow and arrows and pressed the earth itself. Terrified by the threat, the earth, taking the form of a cow, fled from him. Pṛthu, bow in hand, pursued her as she ran through all the worlds, even to the realm of Brahmā, but wherever she went, she found Pṛthu standing before her, his bow raised, radiant with energy, unshaken, and invincible even to the immortals. Unable to find protection, the earth turned to Pṛthu alone. The goddess, revered by the three worlds, stood before him with joined palms and spoke, “O King, you do not consider it unrighteous to kill a woman. But how will you sustain the people without me? The worlds exist in me; I support the universe. Without me, O best of kings, all people would perish.” She continued, “If you wish for the welfare of the people, you ought not to kill me, O protector of the earth. Listen to my words: all undertakings begun with a proper method reach completion. Even if you kill me, O king, you will not be able to protect the people. I will become the source of food; abandon your anger, O radiant one. Women are said to be inviolable, even among a hundred animal species. Knowing this, you should not abandon righteousness.” Hearing these many words, the king, self-controlled and righteous, suppressed his anger and spoke to the earth: “Whoever kills for the sake of one—whether himself or another—one life or many—incurs sin, whether he desires it or not. But if, by the death of one, many obtain happiness, then in such a beneficial act, there is no sin, nor even the shadow of sin. Therefore, for the sake of the people, I will slay you, O Earth, if today you do not act according to my word for the good of the world. Having slain you with an arrow, since you turn away from my command, I myself will sustain the people and make myself renowned.” He continued, “Therefore, O best of upholders of righteousness, accept my words: always revive the people—you are indeed capable, there is no doubt. Become my daughter; in this way, this is a great means. I restrain you now for the sake of righteousness, O terrifying one.” Thus addressed, the virtuous Earth replied, “So it is, O King; I will do this without doubt. Let a calf be given to me, by which I may yield; and make me uniform everywhere, O best of the righteous, just as milk flows everywhere, so may I be everywhere.” Then Pṛthu cleared away all the layers of stone with the tip of his bow, and by his action, the mountains were removed. In past Manvantaras, the earth had been uneven by nature; her even and uneven places arose from her own being. In the former creation, on the uneven surface of the earth, there were no divisions of cities or villages. There were no crops, no cattle-keeping, no agriculture, nor trade routes; in the interval before the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, this was the ancient state. Only in the Vaivasvata Manvantara did all these things come into being. Wherever the earth was made even, there people dwelt always.